I’ve been covering the Woody Allen saga ever since Dylan Farrow's sexual abuse allegations against her father were reignited, courtesy of the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, in late 2017.
Mia Farrow and her children, Ronan and Dylan, have stayed true to their side of the story. Suffice to say, Allen's reputation has taken a major hit; his contract with Amazon annulled and his films now relegated to being shot in Europe, where many in the continent still believe in his innocence.
On the occasion of Allen’s 50th film, “Coup de Chance,” being released in the U.S, The Wall Street Journal’s Kyle Smith has come out with a strongly worded op-ed against the blacklisting of Allen. Here are a few excerpts:
Mr. Allen is unlike many others accused in the #MeToo era. His alleged transgression was taken seriously and investigated by police. There exists a compelling counter-narrative that exonerates him. Yet popular culture’s mandarins have turned against him like the townspeople who form a bizarre hostility brigade tormenting the character he played in his marvelous Kafkaesque parable, “Shadows and Fog” (1991). He is a pariah in a situation that to him makes no sense.
Mr. Allen may shrug and say he’ll keep doing what he does even if every company shuns him. But the cultural forces that condemned him ought to put down their pitchforks and torches. This great artist shouldn’t end his career in shadows and fog.
If one took the time to read up on the history of the accusations lobbed against Allen then they would possibly come out of it with broader knowledge of his innocence. The problem is that not many bother to read anymore, they’d rather blindly trust 140 character tweets than actually seek the facts of this case.
This is a polarizing and infuriating scandal and the noise around it has not quelled since 2017. And yet, in an age where information is abundant, and educating yourself on just about anything is just a click away, the disinformation campaign led by the Farrows has been dangerous and destructive to the #MeToo movement, whose historic significance should not be dampened and taken advantage of by opportunists such as them.
I highly recommend Robert Weide’s excellent dissections of Allen v Farrow which were published on 5.30.16, 12.13.17 and, most recently, 1.14.18. As well as Moses Farrow’s vehement defense of his dad.
Despite being ostracized from Hollywood, Allen still has the some support, from a few high profile actors, they include Javier Bardem, Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson, Diane Keaton, and Penelope Cruz — all of whom refuse to adhere to the mob mentality and condemn Allen. Good for them.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.